Wednesday, December 26, 2012

HOLIDAY: Christmas Festivities!

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday this year! I am kind of glad it's over, but it was wonderful none the less. Charlie's mom was still in town and on Christmas Eve we got all gussied up and went to a family holiday party. Christmas Day was perfectly low-key. We busted out the waffle iron and made waffles with grilled apples and vanilla ice cream then we opened presents. After hanging out in our pjs all day, we made a fancy Christmas dinner of beef tenderloin with blue cheese cream sauce, roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta and a giant potato scallion pancake with sour cream and apple sauce toppings. The holidays were pure perfection and I am sad to be back at work today. We are being hit by a blizzard here in Cleveland so I am so thankful my job affords me the ability to work at home. Brrr, it looks cold out there. Hope you are staying warm!


Man if only this had been a few weeks earlier, it would have made a perfect Christmas card!



My Christmas party look. A little liner and mascara with merry and bright lips. Sephora #44 "Club Scene" A berry red with a little shimmer to it. This is also the longest I've spent styling my hair in a looong time.




The Mamaroo - apparently the mac daddy of baby swings and my mother-in-laws proudest purchase of the year by far.

Beef tenderloin and brussel sprouts from Every Day Occasions
Potato scallion pancake from Tyler Florence via Food & Wine

Sunday, December 23, 2012

FAMILY: Christmas Brunch

Yesterday Charlie and I hosted his family for a Christmas Brunch. It was quite a success, but a little chaotic having so many people in our humble little house. Once I got past people having their snowy shoes on our Anthropologie living room rug it was quite an enjoyable morning. Which reminds me. I really hate when people say "just wait until you have kids". Does having kids mean you can't have nice stuff and you can't at least try to teach them to treat things nicely? Anyway, we served a breakfast strada with maple sausage, egg and cheese, I made homemade pain au chocolate (when you buy baking chocolate make sure it says semi-sweet and not unsweetened - oops!), fruit salad with a honey-lime dressing and we had a drink bar with Bloody Mary's, Mimosas and sparkling cider for the pregnant and under age. Sigh. Charlie also set up a coffee bar and made hand brewed coffee for everyone on the Chemex! I think being pregnant is heightening the stress level of the holidays for me. I've kind of been a little monster and I'd like to take a moment to apologize to my husband and thank him for his patience. Love you! Hope everyone is having a calm and happy holiday! :)